MEANT TO BE SOLELY MINE

CHAPTER 6 (Part 2)

The next morning, he was jolted awake by terrible news from one of his workers: their imported goods had been confiscated at the port. Alejandro felt as though his lungs couldn't take in much air. He owned a large wine shop, a business he had nurtured for years without incident. Why now? What could the port officials have found wrong with his wine to warrant such drastic action?

He threw on some clothes and, just as he stepped outside, his gaze met that of an unexpected visitor. “¿Cómo son? ¿Qué haces, Oscar? ¿Qué traes aquí? (How are you? What brings you here, Oscar?)”

Oscar, a notorious loan shark known for his cruelty and heartlessness, stood in the courtyard facing Alejandro with a plain expression. He adjusted the hat on his head and walked closer to Alejandro assisted by his staff. The staff has a sculpted skull design at the top made with gold and having a plain gold body. This was Oscar's distinctive characteristic. He never went anywhere without it.

His face darkened as he said, “Ahorra los cumplidos. (Save the pleasantries.) I'm here to collect mi dinero. (My money.)”

“Your money? But it hasn’t been six months since we agreed on that. Why are you asking for it now?” Alejandro was taken aback.

He had borrowed money from the man standing right in front of him, accompanied by five of his thugs, who stood menacingly nearby. Although Alejandro appeared calm on the outside, panic swirled within him. Being on Oscar's bad side was a dangerous place to be, and Alejandro regretted following Camila’s advice.

Three months ago, he had been persuaded by Camila to take a loan from Oscar when his wine shop was struggling and on the verge of closing. He had laid off almost all of his workers, retaining only three capable ones, yet he still couldn't manage the business effectively and that was when Camila convinced him. He had initially wanted just one million pesos but she had insisted that a loan of two million pesos would give them the boost they needed, arguing that one million wouldn’t be enough.

Alejandro had hesitated, aware of others who had borrowed from Oscar and never managed to repay him. Most were unable to pay back their debts, often ending up in dire situations. But Camila’s insistence that they were hard-working individuals convinced him otherwise. They were individuals who simply squandered their funds once they had successfully borrowed from Oscar. He believed that he was not like those people; he was diligent and capable of paying back the loan.